A once popular Pontins seaside resort has been left deserted with empty streets, bars and derelict shops.
The area was once a seaside escape for families looking for a break on the Somerset coast, but now holidaymakers have been left searching for somewhere new to go as a three-year construction project at the nearby Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant forced the closure of the holiday park.
Hinkley Point C is expected to start generating electricity in 2026 after nuclear power station Hinkley Point A, stopped operating in 2000 and is being decommissioned, reports the Mirror.
Hinkley Point B began operating in 1976 and stopped generating electricity at the beginning of August this year.
Local businesses have previously spoken of the changes in the town over the years..
Former publican Gary Reid, 61, from Brean, said many are fearing what the future holds, writes The Sun.
He said: “It has the feel of a one-horse town where even the horse has left. At this time of year it’s never very busy but we are fearful for the coming season.
“Pontins had a weekly turnover of 3,000 people coming into the resort and although there are many caravan sites around the loss of so many visitors and their spending power will be huge.”
The Brean Sands resort in Somerset will undergo a major refurbishment before hundreds of workers from Hinkley Point C are housed there.
By the end of the year as many as 900 nuclear power plant workers will be living at the Pontins, Somerset Live reported.
The upgrades to the park should benefit visitors to the Pontins once it reopens to the public in three years time.
The first members of staff have already moved into the resort following an application from EDF Energy to Sedgemoor District Council to change the use of the camp.
The site will be used for Hinkley Point for three years before it reverts back to its original use, meaning fans of the resort can expect to return there one day.
Improvement works include upgrades to the 600 chalets that are onsite and the installation of WiFi.
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